Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate as Japan faces its worst wildfire in decades.
Roughly 4,600 people remain under government-issued evacuation orders, as the fire continues to expand the north-eastern city of Ofunato, in the Iwate Prefecture, and more than 2100 hectares burnt.
More than 1,200 have evacuated to shelters and around 2,000 have left to stay with friends or family.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said at least 84 homes had been damaged and one person killed.
Wildfires frequently occur in Japan between January and May, when the air is drier, but they tend to be much smaller in size than the current blaze.
Conditions were unusually dry leading up to this event as Ofunato received only 2.5 millimetres of rain last month, the lowest monthly total for February in a record going back to 1964. Strong winds that fanned the flames and steep terrain that challenged containment efforts also contributed to this fire’s growth, experts told news outlets.
More than 2000 self-defence force troops and firefighters have already deployed to fight the flames, but calls continue for more.
"Although it is inevitable that the fire will spread to some extent, we will take all possible measures to ensure there will be no impact on people's homes," said Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to parliament.
